Lakhimani Murmu is an active member of the Maniyardi Kadamjharna SHG in Binpur, West Bengal. Lakhimani, lives in a mud house surrounded by forest with her husband and two sons. Lakhimani, like most scheduled tribes’ smallholder farmers, had very little land for crop cultivation.
Thus, producing for their own needs came first, and planning for any crop other than paddy was a luxury for her. Smallholder farmers like Lakhimani began to experiment with vegetable farming to supplement their income a few years ago.
Reporter